Hi folks,I'm on Ubuntu and wanna give VL a try.After installing VectorLinux 6.0 on a separate partition, will it automatically list in the grub menu the other 2 OSes I got (Ubuntu 8.10 & XP) OR I'll have to do it by hand?

That depends on how your grub was built and installed by your current distro. I don't know about Ubuntu's method, but many other distro's that I have looked over, seem to do quite well at finding a new OS.

Vector Linux uses lilo, not grub. It will automatically find and list the entry for Windows. IME it will NOT do so for Ubuntu and you will have to add that manually.

Just out of interest, do you know why VL's LILO may not find Ubuntu? Is this true for other distros as well?

I've had more than one version of VL installed on my Celeron desktop for years and LILO has always found all the VLs and Windows. But after I installed VL 4.whatever, I've never had any interest in installing a different distro. I've looked at others only through LiveCDs. So I have no experience with if and how LILO finds anything but VL and Windows.--GrannyGeek

I think she meant to say that Ubuntu's Grub will not do so well on addition of OS, and will need manual edit. Not that VL won't detect Ubuntu in it's Lilo.

I was under the impression that the installer will be installing the boot into the VL partition rather than the MBR, using this method so he/she can keep the existing boot loader. However, I do recommend using VL's Lilo. After searching on this forum , it apears that Ubuntu's Grub has some issues with detection of Operating Systems.

the VL install should catch your other OSes, but during install, have VL's lilo avoid taking the MBR - select "skip," and it still will spot your other OSes, leaving the existing boot loader in place. As M0E mentions, if you want to use Ubu's grub, you will likely have to manually alter its grub --- Ubu doesn't always play nice. (And Windows is meanest ;-) So far, the latest VL versions I used, always notice the other OSes, regardless if they are using grub or lilo or Win.

Consider altering the Win loader --- it's really easy. (see below)

Generally, here's what I've found to be the safest way (on a new machine):

1. Figure out how many OSes you'll have2. use partedmagic live to divide up partitions for the OSes3. *always* install Win before any others (as it will NUKE everyone else)4. Do the grub loader versions, leave Win on the MBR, then5. Do the lilo versions, again leave Win on the MBR, and save the best for last:6. VL

Then use Granny Geeks' technique for setting up the Win loader to spot the other OSes. And if your like me, and head off to the wrong one by mistake, you can have those loaders refer *back* to the others!

HTH

BTW, welcome to the forum! ... you will likely discover that VL is *much* faster than Ubu!

By the way, I found out how to do it in a downloadable book called Slackware Linux Essentials. I downloaded the PDF a few years ago and printed it out. Links for downloading are at http://www.slackbook.org/ .--GrannyGeek

Actually I meant exactly what I said. I installed VL 6 today on my Sylvania g Netbook Meso. VL failed to detect Ubuntu or the recovery partition (Clonezilla Live). This system is triple boot. I had to manually edit /etc/lilo.conf

The new gui installer has been detecting my Ubuntu partition. It even detects my mint partition as Ubuntu. At least it has been through the release candidates. I haven't tried the final release on it yet. I think it is only the text installer that does not detect Ubuntu, right now.

I installed VL 6 today on my Sylvania g Netbook Meso. VL failed to detect Ubuntu or the recovery partition (Clonezilla Live). This system is triple boot. I had to manually edit /etc/lilo.conf

Why would we get different results like this? Caitlyn are you using the manual or newer graphic installer? You mentioned elsewhere that you format to XFS, but not for your recovery partition, if I recall. Is that right? Could that make a difference? (That would be too weird!)

I've got several machines with Win and Ubu installed first, a couple have other distro's too, e.g. centos, knoppix, debian-whatever --- one of the poor beasties has 12 oses on it ! ... then VL goes on ... the graphic installer spots them all - grub, lilo, win. (Installing VL with the "skip MBR" option - or whatever it's called). My caveat is the same as Stretchedthin's, however - these results are for 6, rc2, and rc3. Got the release in the hopper

The text installer doesn't show the Ubuntu or Clonezilla Live (recovery) partitions at all.

The GUI installed identified the Ubuntu partition as Debian-Sid. Unfortunately it could not correctly add the partition to lilo. It claimed the initrd wasn't found because it was looking in the wrong place. To put it simply: neither the GUI nor the text installer can install lilo correctly with the Ubuntu install covered. Clonezilla-Live isn't recognized by either.